Environment

Cape Town has postponed the date on which it would run out of water – again. After three years of persistent drought, the government has warned that the coastal city would be forced to turn off most of its taps in 2018 – a date also known as “Day Zero”. The new Day Zero

It’s a place that almost seems too magical to exist: the world’s largest underwater cave, spanning an incredible 347 kilometres (216 miles) of subterranean caverns, discovered in Mexico a month ago. When archaeologists unveiled this immense, immersed labyrinth, they said it wasn’t just a natural wonder, but an important archaeological find set to reveal

Regular earthquakes are bad enough. Volcanoes too. But an earthquake swarm at a supervolcano? That really sounds like it could be scary, and scientists say they’ve just detected such a phenomenon at the site of Yellowstone caldera. According to geophysicists with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the past fortnight has seen Yellowstone supervolcano

On Campbell Island in the Southern Ocean, some 640 km (400 miles) south of New Zealand, is a single Sitka spruce. More than 275 km from any other tree, it is often credited as the “world’s loneliest tree”. Planted in the early 20th century by Lord Ranfurly, governor of New Zealand, the tree’s wood

In a major study released Thursday, a team of government and university scientists say that the nature of air pollution is changing dramatically as cars become cleaner. This is leaving personal-care products, paints, indoor cleaners and other chemical-containing agents as an increasingly dominant source of key emissions. “Over time, the transportation sector has been

The team was on a routine pollution-sampling flight from Anchorage to Hawaii when they discovered it by chance, floating alone in the evening Alaskan sky. At an altitude of about 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) above Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, it was unlike anything the researchers had seen in two decades of air sampling: a single radioactive

Bornean orangutans, the largest tree-dwellers on the planet, are vanishing. The population of these great apes was halved between 1999 and 2015, per an estimate published Thursday in the journal Current Biology. A survey of orangutan nests, coupled with a statistical analysis of habitat changes, indicates that more than 100,000 animals were lost in

Bornean orangutans, the largest tree-dwellers on the planet, are vanishing. The population of these great apes was halved between 1999 and 2015, per an estimate published Thursday in the journal Current Biology. A survey of orangutan nests, coupled with a statistical analysis of habitat changes, indicates that more than 100,000 animals were lost in

The Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu has long been marked as a prime candidate to get swallowed up by the ocean as sea levels rise, but new research shows the land mass of the nation is actually expanding. That’s based on aerial photographs and satellite imagery taken of Tuvalu’s nine atolls and 101 reef

Satellite data measured across a 25-year period shows that not only are the seas rising, they’re rising faster and faster – an acceleration that is on track to double the jump in sea levels by 2100 compared with a fixed increase year-on-year. The acceleration is driven mainly by more and more of the ice

There’s an isolated, unknown realm that’s been cut off from light for so long there’s no telling what could survive in its freezing, dark waters – but it looks like we won’t have to wait too long to find out. A team of scientists led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is setting off

An ancient underwater volcano responsible for one of the largest known super-eruptions in history looks to be busy making silent, fiery preparations for its inevitable return. The Kikai Caldera, located to the south of Japan’s main islands, devastated a large swathe of the Japanese archipelago when it spewed upwards of 500 cubic kilometres (120 cubic

Scientists have discovered a ‘lake’ in the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone, who enters this pool at the bottom of the sea will suffer horribly. Erik Cordes, associate professor of biology at Temple University, has researched the pool and described his findings in the journal Oceanography. “It was one of the most amazing things in

For some consumers, the mere act of shopping at the supermarket can be full of overwhelming decisions. After extended debate in the grocery aisle, after attempts to parse through the misleading packaging, you might end up choosing the organic tomatoes over the conventional ones. They’re twice the price, so they’ve got to be better, right?

Earth’s largest-ever mass extinction event 252 million years ago may have been greatly exacerbated by a thinning ozone layer, researchers have discovered. As it turns out, it’s because too much unfiltered UV light renders some trees sterile, triggering a cascade of negative effects. The Permian-Triassic extinction event was absolutely devastating. It destroyed 75 percent

A crayfish that is capable of cloning itself is taking over Europe – and scientists are taking note. The marbled crayfish has a mutation that allows it to clone itself, reports Carl Zimmer at The New York Times. Zimmer profiled scientists studying the all-female species known for its massive size, which “simply did not

There are now so many of us on Earth that the planet just doesn’t have enough resources for us all to live comfortably, which means we require a radical rethink of how we could start living within our means. That’s the conclusion of a new study which looked at 151 nations and found not

The northern hemisphere’s permafrost regions have been concealing a really unpleasant surprise: mercury. A lot of mercury. Nearly twice as much mercury as the rest of the planet’s natural mercury combined. Researchers from the US Geological Survey studied core samples from the Alaskan permafrost, and their estimates show 793 million kilograms of mercury have

Elon Musk’s company, Tesla, is working with the South Australian government to turn 50,000 homes into what they’re calling a “virtual power plant”. Each home in the project will be equipped with a 5kW solar panel system and a 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2, at no cost to the resident and funded entirely by the sale

In a hugely detailed and comprehensive new study, researchers have painted a picture of how around a tenth of Earth’s surface suddenly became covered in roaring fires at a point some 12,800 years ago. The firestorm rivals the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, and it was caused by fragments of a comet that

In a hugely detailed and comprehensive new study, researchers have painted a picture of how around a tenth of Earth’s surface suddenly became covered in roaring fires at a point some 12,800 years ago. The firestorm rivals the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, and it was caused by fragments of a comet that

The 2,000 year old Nazca Lines are the world’s best known example of geoglyphs – and they’re beautiful. Huge symbols of monkeys, fish, and other animals up to hundreds of metres long – preserved for so long we don’t know what they were there for. But one area was badly damaged on Saturday when

The 2,000 year old Nazca Lines are the world’s best known example of geoglyphs – and they’re beautiful. Huge symbols of monkeys, fish, and other animals up to hundreds of metres long – preserved for so long we don’t know what they were there for. But one area was badly damaged on Saturday when

Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is the world’s largest floating slab of ice: It’s about the size of Spain, and nearly a kilometre (about 0.6 miles) thick. The ocean beneath, roughly the volume of the North Sea, is one of the most important but least understood parts of the climate system. We are part of

Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is the world’s largest floating slab of ice: It’s about the size of Spain, and nearly a kilometre (about 0.6 miles) thick. The ocean beneath, roughly the volume of the North Sea, is one of the most important but least understood parts of the climate system. We are part of

Controversy has erupted after reports revealed German carmakers have collaborated on experiments in which monkeys and human participants were intentionally exposed to toxic diesel fumes. The secret experiments, which took place in both the US and Germany, were part of a ‘clean diesel’ research initiative funded by Volkswagen, the world’s largest automaker, with BMW

Controversy has erupted after reports revealed German carmakers have collaborated on experiments in which monkeys and human participants were intentionally exposed to toxic diesel fumes. The secret experiments, which took place in both the US and Germany, were part of a ‘clean diesel’ research initiative funded by Volkswagen, the world’s largest automaker, with BMW

Earth’s magnetic field is pretty adept at flipping polarity. The poles have swapped, reversing north and south, many times over the planet’s history. Within the last 20 million years, Earth has fallen into the pattern of pole reversal every 200,000 to 300,000 years, and between successful swaps, the poles sometimes even attempt to reverse and

Earth’s magnetic field is pretty adept at flipping polarity. The poles have swapped, reversing north and south, many times over the planet’s history. Within the last 20 million years, Earth has fallen into the pattern of pole reversal every 200,000 to 300,000 years, and between successful swaps, the poles sometimes even attempt to reverse and

Give a corvid a conundrum and it won’t stay stymied long – the long-beaked birds have legendary problem-solving skills. In fact, they’re so clever that Australian crows have even figured out a way to eat poisonous cane toads. The cane toad, Rhinella marina, a species native to south and central America, was brought to Australia

Give a corvid a conundrum and it won’t stay stymied long – the long-beaked birds have legendary problem-solving skills. In fact, they’re so clever that Australian crows have even figured out a way to eat poisonous cane toads. The cane toad, Rhinella marina, a species native to south and central America, was brought to Australia

A graphic from Bill Gates’ blog clearly illustrates that the mosquito causes more deaths per year than any other animal on the planet. This killer insect has a nasty reputation for spreading the disease around the globe, prompting what some have called The War on Mosquitoes. A recent experiment could be a turning point in this

On December 1, Tesla’s 100MW battery system went online in South Australia after meeting founder Elon Musk’s self-imposed 100-day construction deadline. In the weeks since, the massive battery system has seemingly lived up to its potential as a reliable source of clean energy. When a coal plant tripped on December 14, Tesla’s Australian battery

A strong volcanic eruption in the Philippines forced over 50,000 people to evacuate and sent ash plumes over a mile into the sky on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, an eruption at a Japanese ski resort north of Tokyo caused avalanches that killed one person and trapped many others on the mountain. These powerful volcanic events may be

Solar energy isn’t just a tool to reduce emissions and help slow climate change – it’s a job creator. According to the most recent National Solar Jobs Census published by The Solar Foundation, the industry creates more jobs than any other sector in the US. According to the census, solar energy adds jobs 17

One of the benefits of the Space Age is the way it has allowed human beings to see Earth in all of its complexity and splendour. In addition, it has allowed us to conduct studies of Earth’s surface and atmosphere from orbit, which helps us to see the impact we have on our planet. It is

Over the past three years, a lot has changed for the city of Cape Town. Seated in a geologic bowl beneath Table Mountain and historically fed by heavy winter precipitation, the South African metropolis has been known as a haven of abundant natural water. This year, however, Cape Town may be the first major

After 10 months of intensive exploration, scientists in Mexico have discovered the world’s largest flooded cave system – and it’s truly an underwater wonderland. Spanning an incredible 347 kilometres (216 miles) of subterranean caverns, this branching, sunken labyrinth isn’t just a natural spectacle – it’s also an important archaeological find that could reveal lost secrets of

It has been estimated that by 2021, humans will annually use as many as half a trillion plastic bottles. Our consumption and the production of single-use plastics is out of control, with over 8 million tons of plastic entering the world’s oceans every year. This growing problem threatens Earth’s ecosystems in a dire way,

Climate scientists on Wednesday suggested that they may be able to rule out some of the most dire scenarios of what would happen if greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere were to double. Unfortunately, the same scientists say the best-case scenarios are also probably unrealistic. How a doubling of atmospheric greenhouse gases would affect

It’s been clear for a while now that there’s too much carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere, heavily contributing to a warming planet, and now scientists have come up with a new plan for dealing with all this excess CO2 – converting it into plastic. Plastic itself isn’t the most environmentally friendly of materials, but

She was flying home from a holiday in Samoa when she saw it through the airplane window: a “peculiar large mass” floating on the ocean, hundreds of kilometres off the north coast of New Zealand. The Kiwi passenger emailed photos of the strange ocean slick to scientists, who realised what it was – a

At the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Ukraine, work is almost finished on a huge new solar plant that’s set to provide one megawatt of renewable power for the local electricity grid. The new plant sits just a hundred metres (328 feet) from the Object Shelter, nicknamed the “sarcophagus”, a sealed

The environmental impact of plastic is finally receiving the attention it deserves. This is partly down to the BBC’s Blue Planet II highlighting the problem of ocean plastics. But it’s also because the Chinese government has recently imposed quality restrictions on the import of recyclable materials, in an attempt to address domestic concerns over

According to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), scientists have, for the first time, produced proof that the recovery of the ozone hole is attributable to human action. Every September, the Antarctic ozone hole forms after rays from the Sun catalyse ozone destruction cycles. These cycles involve chlorine and bromine, which mostly come from

Scientists are stumped by scores of dolphin carcasses washing up on a beach close to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. More than 100 dead dolphins have been recovered from the Bay of Sepetiba in the past month, and no one can figure out a reason why. The lifeless grey dolphins have been turning up

Green sea turtles do not develop into males or females due to sex chromosomes, like humans and most other mammals do. Instead, the temperature outside a turtle egg influences the sex of the growing embryo. And this unusual biological quirk, scientists say, endangers their future in a warmer world. Already, some sea turtle populations

Decades of measurements and predictions of sea level rise could have underestimated the scale of the problem, experts warn, due to scientists not accounting for the weighty, warping effects of our ever burgeoning oceans. Existing assessments of sea level rise haven’t factored in that as the total ocean mass increases due to melting glaciers